Flood Of Fire

I'm a little sad that I've finished Amitav Ghosh's last volume of the Ibis trilogy, Flood Of Fire (2015). It is an amazing accomplishment, a compelling, page-turning epic historical story that culminates with the outbreak of the First Opium War and China's devastating defeat, to Britain's seizure of Hong Kong. The epic tale is narrated by a varied cast of characters such as Kesri Singh, a sepoy in the East India Company, Zachary Reid, an impoverished young sailor searching for his lost love, and Shireen Modi, a determined widow en route to China to reclaim her opium-trader husband's wealth and reputation among others. The characters give a variety of perspectives on historical based events. Ghosh continues to be inventive in his language and is particularly good with the dialogue. The action unfolds effortlessly. it is another triumph from a master storyteller, I am happy to say that there are several other novels by Ghosh left for me to read, but they will face scrutiny to judged in relation to his great achievement of the Ibis trilogy.